Steve Watson is hoping to bring two things to Gateshead Football Club - entertainment and Football League action.

The former Newcastle United favourite took his first role in management at Gateshead , replacing Neil Aspin at the International Stadium.

He’d been serving as assistant manager at Macclesfield, but has swapped the team at the top of the National League for the Heed Army who sit 16th in the table.

Watson’s ambitions are high though, and he’s delighted to start his management career at home in the North East, having left when departing Newcastle United back in 1998.

“I’m over the moon to be starting in management, but also to be back in the North East,” the 43-year-old North Shields-born ex-Premier League star said at his official unveiling.

“It’s a place I know well and I know how football gets to the people up here.

“You don’t know where football will take you and I’ve been away from the region for 19 years and now my first managerial role is back home. It’s fantastic.

“People love their football up here so I’m sure the fans will get behind the team and then with that, my plan is to bring success on the pitch and hopefully we can see it snowball from there.

“There’s not much in the league and the position is a bit false when you consider we are nine points from the top, so we just need to get the belief back into an already good set of lads. There’s no reason why we can’t start climbing the league.

“Could it be a Football League club? Absolutely.

“The players are as good as any in this division and everything is there in place for the club to achieve that.

Having graduated from Newcastle’s academy to play over 250 games for the Magpies in the ‘90s, Watson knows the North East well and Heed chairmen Richard Bennett said his rapport with football fans in the region was a big factor in his decision to go with him.

He was part of Kevin Keegan’s famous Entertainer’s side, and admits he’d love to bring a similar style to Tyneside once again.

He said: “If you look at the teams who went up last season - Forest Green and Lincoln - they both played their way out of the league. They play good football.

“But you have to have the players and something to build on. I believe we’ve got that.

“Maybe I will bring in a different style of play and a different philosophy on work ethic, and make no mistake I am here to be successful and take this team into the league.

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“I’m not here to hover around mid-table, I’m here to take the club forward.

“Some managers might come and take the pressure off themselves and say ‘let’s steady the ship first season’, but I believe we have the ability to go and push.”

At Macclesfield, Watson’s coaching helped them develop of a passing style which equated to positive results - something he hopes to also achieve here.

He continued: “At Macc we started with a solid base - being strong defensively and having good work-ethic off the ball - and that allowed the players to express themselves more on it.

“So that’s kind of my philosophy; start with a solid base and expand from there.

“What we’re going to do without the ball is going to be important because there’s a lot of teams in this league who are a lot more direct than other leagues so we’re going to have to have a really strong group and organised backline.

“With the ball, all the best teams that I was in were teams that played with the ball - they played through the midfield and they passed it around a lot. Players were allowed to go out and express themselves. That’s what I’ll be working towards achieving here.

“Teams can be successful in this division by playing good football. It can be done.

“More than anything though, I want to play successful football; whatever that means is what I’m willing to do.”

While Watson’s main goal will be improving on the current league position and pushing for promotion to League Two, the former Toon star begins his management career in the FA Cup.

Gateshead travel to Buxton hoping to book their place in the first round proper. Watson can’t wait to get started.